Aurelius Augustinus (354-430)

Childhood, The Pear Tree, Student at Carthage, Worldly Ambitions

Reflection: “My soul was depraved.”

Augustine’s work is a spiritual biography, the story of a young man’s long and troubled journey to his final conversion to Christianity.

It is also an account of a life pervaded by a sense of sin (moral evil). This is the unique contribution of

Christianity to the Western Mind.

Concentration: The Spiritual Life of Regret and Shame The concentration on the spiritual

life, rather than the life of activity or the intellect.

The first account of childhood in Western literature. Man is basically sinful—even “…a child,

who has lived one day on earth.” Only God’s Providence can offer humans

hope for salvation.

Genre: Confessional

Confesses directly to God. No Greek or Roman would confess to a

god. Introduces the notion that a god

would be interested in an individual’s confession of wrongdoings. An alien concept to ancient Greek or

Roman mentality.

Augustine’s Contribution

One of the men responsible for consolidation of the fragmented Church.

First autobiography in Western literature.

Proclaims the value of the individual soul and the importance of its relation to God.

He stands as the transitional figure between the ancient and medieval world view.

Augustine’s Theodicy:

We are children, wandering in ignorance.

We are capable of redemption if we patiently wait for Providence.

Hope and faith must coexist with guilt and fear.

The Problem: The Body

Sexuality, the problem, is the source of moral evil, and thus, forces the religious quest. Evil is the result of man’s misuse of free

will—”turning” away from God. We are enslaved to the passions of the

lowest order. We are incapable of self-transformation,

due to the power of willfulness, vanity, and pride.

The Solution: Love of God Love of God, the solution, can thrive

only if love of self and love of the flesh are conquered.

If we can escape this world, from self to God, from flesh to spirit, we achieve the deepest purpose and direction of human life.

An authoritative Church structure is needed to give us guidance.